~ Two ladies, wine, and some great books

Blog Tour: Water by Natasha Hardy

Surrender to the power of the water… Alex knows she is different. She’s plagued by nightmares that feel shockingly real and an intense restlessness she cannot explain. As the long hot summer holidays stretch before her, Alex seeks out adventure in the rugged mountains of Injasuthi. But during a camping trip to the mystic jade pools, Alex meets Merrick, a boy who tells her the shocking truth about herself, and Alex’s nightmare is about to become reality. Because Alex is no ordinary teenager…she is a half-mermaid and her adventures are only just beginning.

About the Author:

Natasha Hardy began writing when the adventure of her life had turned dark and gloomy, as all adventures must at some point. It was in the depths of the winter of her adventure that she found a way, through writing, to escape into the sun.

Like most escapes it turned into an adventure all of its own, where characters have their own problems to solve, albeit far more complex problems involving mythical creatures that aren’t meant to exist, and expect far more than they reasonably should.

Her escapes, for there are many still to come, are sparked by the adventures she has had in the wildly beautiful South African bush, seasoned with the true stories of the explorers who make up her ancestry, and woven through with the intrigue, and sometimes sheer madness, of living in Africa.

She now spends most of her time-happily- in a world of words, and the rest trying to keep up with her part time rock star, full time Comrades running husband and their two gorgeously mischievous little boys.

Interview:

1) What made you decide to write in the first place?

I decided to write as an escape from too much real life…and that’s why I chose fantasy as the genre and mythical creatures as my muse.

2) What gives you inspiration? Is there something that halts the progress in particular?

Oddly enough, thinking too hard stops the process, when I just flow with the story and allow my characters to come to life I do my best work. When I read lots of theory on how to write, I struggle to get into that flow.

3) What is some (cause picking one is just too hard) of your favorite books, and do you take anything away from them for your own writing?

I am pretty new to the fantasy/paranormal genre, so am still exploring it, but books I’ve loved are Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb and any Terry Prachett.

4) What’s one of the scariest moments of publishing your own books?

The day after it went live on Amazon. I suddenly realized that I couldn’t get it back to make any more changes…

Kay now for some fun questions:

1) If you could meet any character, ever, who would it be? (Why if you desire to share) also can be one of your characters.

Oooh there are so many, but I think from ‘Water’ I’d love to meet Merrick of course but also Pelagius…he is a side character but a very interesting one with a story all of his own.

From other books I’d love to meet the Lion from Narnia, Pippen from Lord of the Rings, and of course the elves too.

I’d ask them what they think of earth and the people they’ve met. I’d ask them where they were planning to be in five years time, and I’d ask them if they could re-do their story, whether they would make the same choices.

2) If you can to choose:

a pony farm, unicorns included if desired (or dragons)

a library filled with books you would be interested in reading

to go to the moon

…. which would you choose.

The books and the unicorn are a tough choose, but if I could have a library of books that came to life…now there would be a wonderful thing.

3) What is your favorite type of paranormal (mythological, supernatural, whatever you can think of) creature?

I have quite a few of these buzzing around my head so I’ll have to go with mermaids- not the wishy washy kind though but the type that survive in the same waters as Great White sharks, and elves- not the type that run around talking to butterflies…

4) What book should I read next just kidding! But what’s on your next to read list?

I have a very long reading list right now and on there is The Lord of the Rings, Song of the Wolf by Hannah Pole, and a couple of other Carina Jewels too.